Written by Jonathan Wojcik with the aid of With the Will, Digimon Wiki and Wikimon


THE GAME TYPE APPMON

Originally, I planned to just sort of skim over the Appmon until further notice. They're not, after all, considered exactly interchangeable with digimon, a spin-off franchise that lasted only a couple of years and operated under rules of its own. Another reason I considered skipping them over was that they don't relate to one another by evolution, but by a fusion system that connects almost all of them together in one nebulous mess. The one solution? Obviously to review them by type, since each type only has a modest 20-25 Appmon in it anyway! This'll be a piece of cake!......Maybe!

First up? GAME TYPE!

STANDARD LEVEL


CARDMON

We start this all off on a pretty good one! Cardmon is an Appmon representing a card game app (duh), and takes the form of what is supposed to be a TCG card someone crudely drew over. The scribbled demon is another of digimon's many Baikinman references, but with the jagged teeth, this one looks the closest of all to its inspiration. It's supposedly capable of changing its abilities by changing its illustration, but I'm not sure we've ever officially seen what that looks like, and personally I don't think anything could beat this prickly little imp.

RATING:




DANCEMON

Our next Appmon is okay, but nothing that sticks out much to me. It's called dancemon, it dances, it represents a rhythm app and it looks like a DJ bunny with hands for ears. More than anything, it looks like the mascot of a 1990's Sonic the Hedgehog ripoff, though that's not really a bad thing. It's just not really too interesting otherwise.

RATING:




FLICKMON

This is an odd one we may as well get out of the way, because it's actually present in every single basic Appmon type and all that changes is its coloration. Nothing else seems to be known about it except that its mouth conceals many sharp teeth.

RATING:




OFFMON

Offmon is one of the main digimon in the anime series, but we're not here to review that. It's said to be an "offline app," but that doesn't explain much, does it? WHAT kind of offline app? It has the ability to drain energy from things and even take away the motivation of others, and is "always listless" itself. It's pretty cute, too. Its design doesn't necessarily convey its ability, but it does feel like it suits it.

RATING:




ONMON

Offmon's counterpart is obviously just the opposite in every way; an energetic critter that provides energy and enthusiasm. It makes sense to exist of course, but I like it a lot less. Sorry, but the gloomier gothier option is always going to be best.

RATING:




PUZZLEMON

Alright! A nonhumanoid!! This puzzle app has three spherical bodies that are each said to have their own personality as well as their own attack element, and it can change its abilities by switching out which sphere serves as its "head end." Each orb is adorable, but I think the third one is my favorite, if I'm reading its design correctly. Is that glowing blue mark its face? With little 1-up Mushroom eyes???

RATING:




RACEMON

Do I need to explain what apps any of these are? It's pretty much always just their name. Racemon is a racing appmon, and it's said to be able to "bring out the absolute best in any vehicle, from tricycles to spaceships." A fun concept, and I really like its design. A simple racecar driver at first glance, but the things on its head are meant to evoke rabbit-like ears. It's the glowing eyes I like the best, of course.

RATING:




ROPUREMON

I think you know what kind of game this is! Its profile even says it "posseses a strange air of charisma, since no one seems to care about it randomly ransacking strangers' houses." Hah. I like that its face is as deliberately generic as possible in reference to your typical blank-slate RPG protagonist.

RATING:




SHOTMON

Digimon sure loves its walking gun monsters, doesn't it? This is another one whose body is entirely guns, but only five of them this time, don't worry! It also lacks any obvious face, but I believe the orange hexagons on the sides of its head are the eyes.

RATING:




DOKAMON

Another main character, if you couldn't have just guessed from the design, this "action game" Appmon resembles Gumdramon, has a rambunctious personality and likes to smash stuff with its oversized metallic fists. It's alright. Designed

RATING:



SUPER LEVEL


URATEKUMON

So now we're up one evolutionary level, or "grade" as they're known in Appmon, which you can get by fusing any two of four possible Appmon. We're not going to bother specifying those every time, since they're not necessarily all thematic to one another.

Anyway, this digimon represents a "hints and tips app" for video games, and its true talent lies in exploiting bugs and glitches. The design of a hairy little gremlin with a giant, robot gaming console on its head is freaking hilarious.

RATING:




DOSUKOMON

Obviously designed to be one of the evolutions of Dokamon, and definitely much cooler, much more devilish and menacing looking. Despite its sinister appearance, its special ability is to generate a sacred battlefield around itself that allows only "fair, one-on-one fights."

RATING:




SAKUSIMON

This one is supposed to be a war simulation app, and an expert on famous, historical battle strategies. It's one of many humanlike Appmon, but I like how its shoes make it look like it has monster feet anyway, and its incredibly melodramatic mask adds a lot of personality.

RATING:




BRAMON

This "brain training app" is kind of a remodeling of Uratekumon, but this one is a spindly-limbed devil whose gigantic, external brain has its own muscly arms, and that's even more hilarious. What a freakin' nerd!

RATING:




COACHMON

This "training app" takes the form of a boisterous oni, and he's eager to be your personal trainer for anything at all; not just fighting style or exercise but even cooking or etiquette according to his profile. He gets a 2/5 for a design that doesn't especially grab me, but he is still a fun character concept.

RATING:



ULTIMATE LEVEL


OUJAMON

Sadly, the "Ultimate Grade" appmon are almost always the most boring to me, so that much hasn't changed a whole lot from Digimon Proper. The highest tier of Gaming appmon is just this four-armed lion guy, representing a "combat app." After so many cute, funny characters on here, the straightforward seriousness of this one feels even more underwhelming.

..."More underwhelming?" Is that right? It doesn't feel right. Should I be saying "even less whelming?" I don't think "whelming" is a thing.

RATING:





NAVIGATION: